Member Comments for the Article:

Eating Healthier at the Office

10 Ways to Make Your Workplace Work for Your Diet

27 Comments

I have been taking my lunch for years and now I am on Spark, I make it to meet my needs and in the long run, saves money. For break, a group of us skip the break room munchies and go for a walk (1.2 miles in 15 minutes). I have a lady who works for me who has a candy bowl sitting in front of her all day long and looking at her, you can tell. But, I just pass it by!

But, I do eat my lunch in front of the computer - usually searching Spark for interesting ideas and articles.
- 9/12/2014 5:54:52 PM

All of these are great tips, and essential too. I am blessed with a regular schedule so I can plan snacks and lunches. I prefer to bring my own. What helped me the most on this journey, at work, was a buddy. We were even Sparkfriends as well. We kept each other accountable, shared our good times and bad, shared recipes, brought each other experiments, etc. It was wonderful to have someone that REALLY understood. Our office now has moved toward a more healthy atmosphere which helps alot.Great article.
- 2/17/2014 10:16:01 AM

The last place I worked there is no way you could do some of these things. You had very little time for meals, most places (I worked for an inventory company) you didn't even get breaks. A lot of them they didn't allow you to have any water with you and you couldn't take breaks to go get water. If you took your meal someone would throw it away. They threw away my entire cooler and food plus a couple other things. It is nice when you have a company that actually cares about their employees.
- 1/17/2014 9:23:14 PM

Being self employed with DH is both a blessing and a challenge. He is my worst nemesis. I keep healthy lunch makings in our office refrig, I have a toaster and microwave and do my best to keep us out of fast food and restaurants at lunch. However, he gets tired of healthy foods and encourages me to go out to eat. I'm always relieved when he has a lunch meeting I'm not going to or one of his buddies takes him to lunch. However, exercise is almost nil at this office, There's only about 900 sq ft in the whole office. When the weather permits I try to go out and walk. As with lunch when he goes to a meeting without me, I jump at the chance to go for a walk at lunch since we are right dowtown and are in a really small community.
- 1/16/2014 4:02:50 PM

It's amazing what a difference there can be among workplaces. My last job before retirement was with a tech company in Denver, a city that is (relatively speaking) a very lean and health-minded place. Many of my co-workers were runners and ski buffs who worked out regularly and ate in a sane fashion.

I now do volunteer work here in the Florida Panhandle. Eight out of ten of the salaried employees around me are overweight and sedentary. The break room is a nightmare of take out food and junk snacks. (Ironically, this is a healthcare facility.) Oddly enough, these unhealthy folks, most of whom are 20 to 40 years younger than I, have inspired me in a negative way. Watching them devour Southern Fried Everything has helped me lose the 20 pounds that had crept on in retirement. Go figure.
- 12/26/2013 5:09:46 AM

Good suggestions. I wouldn't tell everyone I was on a diet since some people take it as a challenge to test you. I just say No thanks, and take my own snacks where ever I go. I've never had a desk or worked in an office, but I would take my lunch if I did. I like fruit and nuts for snacks. You need protein to stabilize your blood sugar though. Small piece of cheese, a few nuts. Carbs just make you hungry in a short time if eaten alone. Where ever I go I take water and some nuts and/or an apple, cheese crackers. That way I won't be tempted to get junk food.
- 10/11/2013 12:20:30 PM

Some good suggestions, but I personally don't think suggestion number 2 is a good one. Announcing your intentions to the office is what dieters do, and dieting is a temporary mentality. Success is about your lifestyle, not your diet. How many times do you have other people in your office come and tell you they're making a lifestyle change? How many people at your office would you WANT to come to you to tell you about a lifestyle change (think about that one). Your lifestyle is personal, your commitment to changing it is personal - your support group is not a business matter.
- 7/29/2013 11:53:15 AM

While my company is wonderful about supporting healthy nutrition and fitness, there are still ample opportunities to to create havoc on my health goals at work. I plan ahead, eat six small meals per day (so I am never hungry) and I am prepared for the unexpected...for example, I sometimes have to unexpectedly stay late. So I keep some raw almonds and fruit cups handy. I also keep some Quaker Real Medleys around. Peanut butter is another good option (just use portion control). I am confronted with donuts and bagels all of the time but I try to be mindful...am I hungry? What will this do to my calorie counts for the day as a whole...most of the time I realize that I don't want the food.
- 4/22/2013 9:06:13 AM

Plan ahead: bring your lunch. If possible snack every few hours on fruit or steamed veggies. Try not to let yourself get so hungry that you will eat anything that does not move!

And never forget to have breakfast. Ideally do not eat at your desk but instead find a quite place where you will not be distracted but can focus on your food and the nourishing benefits it is providing.
- 4/15/2013 4:46:48 AM

The library where I work has a cafe connected to it. It's maddening to sit at the desk and have the smell of brownies and scones wafting toward me all day. I do need to start packing snacks so I can resist the temptation of the cafe!

(Not to mention making use of the coffee maker in the break room for my caffeine!)
- 1/27/2013 9:35:06 PM

This is a really good list! I just started a new job and I've been great about bringing my own food (weekend cooking, full freezer) and have only succumbed to Friday treats in the kitchen once. I keep picturing the treats as picked-over and germy, and except for the white chocolate last Friday, It has worked. AND thankfully for me the soda and junk are on a completely different floor.

I've been really worried about starting a new job and restarting some old, bad behaviors. I'd love to read more articles like this!
- 1/27/2013 1:19:26 PM

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